Super Whooper

News has recently come in of Whooper Swan Y5T, who was last recorded near Westport in western Ireland just before Christmas. Dave Cabot tracked him down at Kinlacey Lough, north of Aghagower in Co. Mayo, Republic of Ireland, on the afternoon of 6th February, where he was seen to be in a flock of seven adult swans. The transmitter was still in place and the aerial intact, so there’s a reasonable chance that the batteries will recharge and the transmitter record his spring migration as the days lengthen. Meanwhile, Y5T is reported as being paired to an unringed bird, but without any young. The flock has been at Kinlacey Lough for about two weeks, feeding on grass on the edge of the lake. Efforts are now being made to identify (through ring reading) a second ringed bird in the flock.

Meanwhile we’ve also heard from Icelandic colleagues that, sadly, Finnur (91A) was recovered at Borg, Myrar, A-Skaft, Iceland on 4th November 2009. He had been dead for a while, so unfortunately the cause of death could not be determined.

The whooper swan satellite-tracking project, which aims to describe the migration routes and flight heights of whooper swans in relation to offshore wind farm sites, is being funded by COWRIE (Collaborative Offshore Wind Research Into the Environment). COWRIE is a registered charity, established to improve knowledge and understanding of the potential environmental impacts of offshore wind farm development in UK waters. It supports a range of projects identified by the COWRIE Environment Working Group as areas where further research is needed in relation to offshore wind. Further information can be obtained on the COWRIE website on www.offshorewindfarms.co.uk/Pages/COWRIE/